Costs and benefits of strategy construction in a speeded discrimination task

Abstract

The costs and benefits of constructing and utilizing a strategy for performing a speeded discrimination task were assessed in terms of time and mental resources. The strategy involved using information about the position a word occupied in order to respond to its identity more rapidly. The resources used to construct and utilize the strategy were assessed from responses to probes presented at various times during the task. In Experiment I, the probe required a manual response, whereas in Experiment 2, the probe required a vocal response. Strategy construction interfered with the probe task in Experiment 1 but not in Experiment 2, suggesting that strategy construction required resources specific to the manual response system. There was also some evidence that strategy construction required general resources, but the evidence for specific resources was much stronger. The findings are consistent with our previous ideas about how the strategy is represented (Logan, 1980a;Logan & Zbrodoff, 1979). The different results with different responses to the probes point out important limitations on previous studies of probe interference and of cost-benefit analysis, which each focused on a single dimension of cost and benefit. The differences suggest that a multiple-resources approach to probe interference and cost-benefit analysis might be more appropriate.In general terms, a strategy may be defined as an optional organization of cognitive processes that is intended to achieve some goal in some task environment. The strategy chosen for a particular task is probably a compromise between the constraints imposed by the structure of the information in the task environment, by the structure of the subject's cognitive abilities, and by the structure of the goals to be achieved by performing the task. Probably, several strategies can satisfy the constraints for any given task, but only one can be used each trial. How is the one chosen? The different possibilities can be ranked in terms of the benefits the subject can expect to gain from them and the costs associated with attaining the benefits. Then, the strategy that maximizes benefit and minimizes cost is the best choice.

The influence of irrelevant location information on performance: A review of the Simon and spatial Stroop effects

“…Exceptions are several studies by Zbrodoff (1979, 1982;Logan, 1980;Logan, Zbrodoff, & Fostey, 1983), who hypothesized that if the relation between congruent and incongruent dimensions were known, the task could be performed with different attentional strategies. One way to study these strategies is to manipulate the relative frequency ofcongruent and incongruent trials, and another is to precue the relation between dimensions at the beginning of each trial.…”

A chronometric analysis of strategy preparation in choice reactions

“…The strategy cuing procedure is also similar to the paradigm used by Logan and Zbrodoff (1982;Logan et al, 1983). For instance, Logan and Zbrodoff (1982) presented a cue prior to a choice-reaction stimulus that could be used to form a more efficient strategy for responding to the stimulus.…”

“…vised by Rosenbaum (1980), and to the strategy construction task used by Logan and his colleagues (Logan & Zbrodoff, 1982;Logan et al, 1983). The technique also has a historical antecedent in the partial advance information paradigm (e.g., Davis, 1964;Leonard, 1958;Shaffer, 1966).…”

“…A8263 to the first author). Experiments 2 and 3 were reported previously at the 1978 Psychonomic Society Meeting in San Antonio, and in the first author's doctoral dissertation.Requests for reprints should be sent to Peter Dixon, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9.vised by Rosenbaum (1980), and to the strategy construction task used by Logan and his colleagues (Logan & Zbrodoff, 1982;Logan et al, 1983). The technique also has a historical antecedent in the partial advance information paradigm (e.g., Davis, 1964;Leonard, 1958;Shaffer, 1966).…”

“…The representation specifies the kind of perceptual analysis needed, the way in which the perceptual information is to betransformed, the decision rules to beused, and the responses to begenerated (cf. Logan & Zbrodoff, 1982;Logan, Zbrodoff, & Fostey, 1983). The present notion of a strategy is similar to the concept of a motor program in that both specify the response to be made (see Keele & Summers, 1976;Rosenbaum, 1980).…”